Home to Stay (Southern Boys Book 2)

by Harper Cassidy

  They ordered food and gradually the two separate conversations merged back into one by the time their meals came. By now, Chet was starting to open up and enjoy himself. He was even starting to joke around a little. He was much more like he’d been at the bonfire, when he and Nick had been alone eating tacos. Nick tried not to smile in his direction more than necessary, not wanting to make it obvious that he was into him, but it was getting more difficult.

  “Oh, man,” Rhett said suddenly. “You know who that waiter over there reminds me of?” He seemed to be addressing Nick directly, so when he pointed, Nick looked.

  “No, who?” Nick asked.

  “You remember the night we went to that festival?”

  Nick hoped his flush wasn’t as obvious as it felt. “Yeah, it was a pretty memorable night,” he said softly, glancing at Liam.

  “Oh,” Rhett said, eyes going wide. He cleared his throat. “Um, anyway, the weird guy at the diner we went to after?”

  Nick looked at the waiter again. “Oh, yeah! Wow, I probably wouldn’t have picked up on it, but you’re right.”

  “Well, I was watching him pretty close. I was worried he was gonna mess with us.”

  "Do people still wanna mess with you because you're so tall?" Nick asked.

  "Not as often as they used to, but yeah." Rhett glanced at Liam, reaching over to squeeze his arm. "That night I was more afraid he knew you and I were together."

  "Is that why the night was so 'memorable’ for y'all?" Liam asked with no apparent animosity. "Was that the first time y'all got together?"

  Nick cleared his throat. "Yep, first time." What he didn't say was that it had been his first time, period.

  “I can’t believe I never knew you two were hooking up in college,” Liam said, taking a bite of his food. His voice and face seem to betray no emotion other than curious disbelief.

  “I can’t either, man. I always thought we were being so obvious!” Rhett said.

  “Oh, wow. This didn’t just get awkward, did it? I signed up for dinner, not some gay telenovella,” Chet joked. “If it turns out one of you had the other one’s baby, I’m out.”

  Nick laughed, as did Rhett and Liam, and then said, “Well, now that you bring it up—”

  “I am not paying you child support, Gallagher,” Rhett cut in.

  “Do you two need to get a room?” Liam asked mildly.

  “We could be a gay cliche and get one for all four of us,” Rhett teased suggestively, leaning close to Liam.

  Liam’s eyes went from playful to soft as he stared at Rhett. “Nah, I don’t think I feel like sharing you. Not even with your baby daddy,” he added with a smirk.

  Rhett gave him a firm peck on the mouth and grinned. “Yeah, I think I’m okay with that.”

  “And that, gentlemen and gentlemen, is why Rhett and I were never more than friends with benefits,” Nick said with a smile.

  Rhett rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, ‘cause I was the only one hung up on somebody else.”

  “Have you tried, you know, not talking?” Nick said, hoping to change the subject.

  “I really need to invite Reuben down here,” Chet said, apparently too lost in his own thoughts to pick up on what Rhett was getting at.

  “Your friend that works with you? You should!” Nick agreed.

  “Best friend, yeah. I miss all this cutting up. I’ve been too morose since I got here.”

  “You came down here because your dad died. I think you’re entitled,” Rhett said, in amused disbelief.

  "Truthfully, I like him better dead, so that probably means I should be more cheerful now," Chet said, tipping back his glass.

  "Yeah, Chet's old man was a real piece of work," Nick chimed in. "He was Dad's client for years, and he was pretty relieved to see the end of Walker too," Nick said.

  "Oh, it's Patrick," Liam said suddenly, frowning down at his phone. "My dad's nurse. Sorry, I gotta take this. Be right back." He left the table in a rush.

  Rhett watched him go, a look of worry on his face.

  28

  "Think anything is wrong?" Nick asked, then explained to Chet, "Liam's dad has a bad liver and is on the transplant list."

  "Oh, god, and here I've been talking about being glad my father's dead," Chet said, feeling awful.

  Rhett waved away his concerns. "Don't worry about that. Liam and his dad had their issues. The fact they've worked through 'em is a damn miracle, honestly." Rhett looked at Nick. "But hopefully it's no big deal. Patrick calls all the time, but we're kind of gunshy since the bonfire."

  "I can imagine," Nick said. "Well, I think I'm gonna run to the men's room while he's out there. If the waiter comes by, will you ask him for another beer?"

  And with that, Chet was left alone with Rhett, who had given him a few measuring looks at various points during the conversation over the evening. He stared at Chet now, his blue eyes seeming to search Chet's face. Rhett leaned close, his height allowing it even across the table.

  "So, are you the same Chet that Nick knew in high school?"

  Chet frowned. "Um, I guess so. I mean, we went to school together, but I don't know why he would have mentioned me. We weren't friends then."

  "We were pretty close for a while in college.” Rhett leaned back again, perhaps sensing he was intimidating Chet. “He knew I was in love with Liam, and I knew about you.” He tapped his fingers on the table for a moment before speaking again. “ I know what he did in the past was pretty bad, but he beat himself up over it. I'm glad you're friends now. Nick is a good guy."

  "Knew about me as in knew about the bullying?"

  "All of it. The bullying, yeah, but how he felt about you and how he felt about what he did to you. The stuff with those two guys he used to run with. He was pretty messed up over it all when I met him. Hated himself, really. He was always talking about looking you up and apologizing."

  Chet saw Nick walking toward them. "He's coming."

  “That guy in high school,” Rhett said in a low voice. “That wasn’t the real Nick.”

  Chet had no time to answer, which he figured was just as well because he had no idea what to say. Nick spoke before he reached the table, alerting them to the fact that Liam had also returned.

  “Everything okay?”

  Liam sighed. “Yeah, it was no big deal.” He sat down and immediately leaned his head on Rhett’s shoulder. “He scared me. I told him not to call me from now on, unless it was an emergency.”

  “What did he even want?” Rhett asked, rubbing Liam’s shoulder.

  Chet felt a pang as he watched them. His desire to have someone in his life was getting stronger. He glanced at Nick involuntarily, only to find Nick looking at him. Nick smiled and Chet smiled back.

  “—drama with Drake,” Liam was saying when Chet started paying attention again.

  “Friend of ours, “ Rhett explained. “He has some kind of history with Patrick and it’s not doing his professionalism any favors.”

  Liam sat up. “Guys, I hate to cut the evening short, but that really took the wind out of me. I think I need to call it a night.” He turned to Rhett. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Whatever you need, baby,” Rhett said.

  “Yeah, by all means, get some rest. We can do this again. Soon, I hope,” Nick said. “You still owe me the story of how you two got together.”

  “I really enjoyed tonight,” Chet told them sincerely.

  Liam smiled. “Well, you’re definitely invited next time we do this, Chet. It was great meeting you.”

  “Yes, it was.” Rhett shook Chet’s hand firmly and gave him a wink. “You’re a lot more interesting than this guy,” he said, hooking a thumb toward Nick.

  “Shut up and hug me, Ginger.” Nick hugged first Rhett, then Liam. “Definitely let’s do this again soon. It has been way too long.”

  They got the check squared away—once Chet and Nick accepted that they were not allowed to pay for their share—and the four parted ways in the parking lot. Chet had been
dreading the conversation on the way home, but oddly, now that he’d spoken with Rhett, he was less worried. He even knew how to start the conversation. He just had no idea how it would end.

  “So, you used to talk to Rhett about me? In college?” he asked once Nick eased the car back onto the road.

  Nick glanced at him quickly, surprise etched across his features. “He told you that? Damn, was I gone to the men’s room that long?”

  “Answering a question with a question. Classic deflection,” Chet teased in his best imitation of a therapist’s voice.

  “Ha,” Nick laughed weakly and cleared his throat. “Um, yeah. I used to talk about you. Rhett was the, uh, first guy I was ever with. We were both going through some stuff when we started going out, and I guess we were both pretty comfortable with each other because we were open and honest almost immediately.”

  “‘With’ as in you lost your virginity to him?”

  Nick rolled his eyes as he executed a turn. “That’s such an archaic concept.”

  Chet considered that for a moment, but made no comment. Instead, he asked, “So he was the first person you had sex with? Or just the first guy?”

  “First person, period. I dated a couple of girls in high school, but I always broke it off before it got physical.”

  Chet nodded absently, remembering seeing Nick with one such girl in high school and how he’d hated him for his normalcy. For his ability to walk around with the person he liked and show it off, instead of being tormented for who he was. How wrong he’d apparently been.

  “But I don’t think we are here to talk about my sexual history, are we?” Nick asked.

  “No. Sorry. I was just curious. He’s very protective of you and so I wondered. Doesn’t matter.” Chet turned to look more directly at Nick. “Why did you talk about me?”

  Nick sighed, but his face gave away nothing. “I was in some amount of denial as long as we were in school, and as long as Reagan and Tyler were around. But once school was over? All that guilt came crashing down on me. I hated what I’d done. On some level, I knew how fucked up your old man was and how hard things had to be for you with your mom gone, but I had shoved all that in the ‘Do Not Think About’ box and just ignored it.”

  Chet was surprised when Nick’s voice cracked. His face had been so impassive, but the emotions he was feeling apparently ran deep.

  “I know I’ve already apologized twice, Chet. But fuck I am so sorry. I did to you exactly what I was terrified of having happen to me. And I hated myself for it. Hated Reagan and Tyler too, but I hated myself more.” Nick took a moment before speaking again, his voice calmer when he did so. “And then Rhett was there. My counselor had suggested I go to the campus LGBT Alliance and we met at the first meeting I went to. He was kind and funny and really smart... he asked me out and of course I said yes.”

  “Were you in love with him?”

  Nick laughed. “No, thank goodness. I was still hung up on my guilt, and he was pretty open about the fact he was trying to get over Liam, so neither of us took it too seriously. When he found out Liam had a girlfriend, we both realized he needed a friend more than a lover just then. And I had started seeing someone else by the time he was ready to date again.” Nick smiled fondly. “It just wasn’t in the cards for us, but he holds a special place in my heart, anyway. He’s a great guy. I’m so happy he and Liam finally made it happen.”

  “For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure he feels the same about you. He was very invested in making sure I knew what a decent guy he thought you were.” Chet sniffed awkwardly. “I think I’ve forgiven you for high school. If I haven’t entirely yet, then I will. I know that you were a scared kid, same as me. It hurt. A lot. But if my dad hadn’t been who he was, maybe I’d have stood up to you. Maybe you wouldn’t have been able to wound me.” Chet looked out the window, just as Nick pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. “Who knows how different things could have been. The fact is, my dad wasn’t different. And in fifteen years, he never changed into anything better.” Chet turned to look at Nick again. “But you did.”

  29

  Nick sat there, stunned. Chet’s words washed over him and through him. And in that moment, Nick realized he was falling for Chet. Not like a scared kid with a crush this time, but as a grown man, with full awareness of how amazing the man in front of him truly was. Chet, who had been through so much, had found the capacity to forgive Nick. And Nick had no words for his gratitude.

  “Would you like to come in for a drink? You never got that beer you asked for,” Chet said.

  Nick nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet.

  “Well, let’s go.”

  Chet got out and Nick followed him to the farmhouse door. As soon as it opened, he heard Chet swear quietly.

  “What’s wrong?” he managed to ask, his voice stronger than he’d expected.

  “I forgot about all this,” Chet said, gesturing at the living room just as Nick noticed the piles of items.

  “Wow, no wonder you were in a hurry to get rid of it. That’s... a lot of stuff to just be from closets.”

  “Tell me about it. I mean, I’ve started on a couple of the rooms now, but it’s still mostly from the closets.” He sighed. “But anyway, it means there’s nowhere to sit except the kitchen and Walker screwed that up.”

  “So we will sit in the screwed up kitchen while you tell me what’s wrong with it and how you’re going to unscrew it up,” Nick said.

  “Oh, sure. Be reasonable and accommodating.” Chet’s smile belied his sarcasm. “Come on then.”

  Once they stepped into the kitchen, however, Nick didn’t need an explanation of what was wrong with it. The table was far too big for the space and there was no natural light to be had. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen a country kitchen without a window before.

  “Yeesh,” he said.

  “Yep! The idiot covered the windows with those cabinets and shrunk the space even more with that horrible table. I’ve called a contractor about the window. I have no idea what to do with the dining set so far.”

  “Bonfire?” Nick suggested, only half kidding.

  Chet laughed. “You’re joking, but honestly, if it weren’t so late, I’d probably ask you to help me haul it outside to do just that.” He looked at the table and shuddered. “I hate that thing.” He moved to the refrigerator, gesturing for Nick to take a seat at the monstrous table. “Let me get you that beer.”

  They sipped in silence for a moment, Nick still looking around at the kitchen, noting what was right as well as what was wrong. Then he caught Chet staring at him before Chet dropped his gaze to his beer bottle. Nick decided to be bold. He reached over and placed his fingertips lightly against Chet’s hand.

  “I know you’ve just started to forgive me. I know this is way too fast. But will you give me a chance? Let me take you out on a real date?”

  Chet looked stunned, but he didn’t move his hand away or say no. He took a long slug of his beer instead. Finally, he nodded.

  “Friday?” Nick asked, heart hammering. He couldn’t believe Chet had agreed so readily.

  “Friday,” Chet said, face softening. “Gives me time to get used to the idea first.”

  Nick slid his hand around Chet’s and squeezed before letting go. “Thanks for the beer. And dinner and… well, everything. I should probably get going, but I had a great time tonight. I’m really glad you were there.”

  Chet smiled at him as they stood up. “Me too. I like your friends. It was good to relax for a while.” He led the way as they stepped back into the living room. “Will you call about the auction this week, if you have time?”

  “Oh! I completely forgot. I called them this morning, but they haven’t called me back. I’ll try again tomorrow and maybe leave them your number.”

  Nick looked at Chet for a moment and then made the decision. He wanted a kiss, but he knew Chet wasn’t ready. Instead, he pulled him into a brief, gentle hug, which Chet returned.

  “I�
��ll talk to you soon,” Nick said softly.

  “Sounds good,” Chet said and then walked Nick to the door.

  On the drive home, Nick started planning out where to take Chet for their date. He was pretty such dinner and a movie wasn’t the kind of date Chet liked. Nick had no idea what Chet liked, but he knew that trying to impress him with wining and dining was likely not the way to go. Nick had never been a fan of that sort of thing anyway.

  When the idea came to him, he broke into a smile. He couldn’t wait for Friday.

  30

  Chet knew he needed to get back to some actual farm work now that he’d spent some time on the house. He hadn’t gotten any notices of fires that needed putting out, but he wanted to check in with everyone, anyway. He wanted to see how the new changes were going, for one thing, but also just let them know he gave a damn.

  He briefly considered calling the different people, but he thought that seeing them in person would be better. There was always the possibility that they’d think he was checking up on them in a spying sort of way, but he supposed he ought to make sure they were handling themselves properly, so maybe that was all right. He got dressed in farm-appropriate clothes and headed out for the barn in his car.

  Jerry Planchett greeted him with surprise but no apparent suspicion or annoyance and that felt good. Jerry was happy to show him around the main areas and introduce him to folks he hadn’t met yet, though there weren’t many in the office department aside from a couple of new hires. He did run into Edna, his father’s erstwhile assistant, again, and she greeted him warmly.

  “Sir, I know I already thanked you for giving me another chance, but I wanted to thank you again,” Edna said when Chet reached her desk.

  “She’s doing a fine job, sir. I promise you that. I don’t think my day has ever run so smoothly,” Jerry told her with a smile.

  Chet was pretty sure a romance might be brewing there.

  “Well, Edna, you’re welcome. I haven’t been able to find out how the money came to be in your filing cabinet, but I do know you didn’t put it there.” He turned to Jerry. “And you’re doing a fine job yourself. So I’m glad Edna is giving you the help you need.”